A UK National Collection

Epimediums

Epimedium x rubrum

Description –   This is a cross between E. alpinum with E. grandiflorum, which arose first in Ghent Botanic Garden over a hundred and fifty years ago. It is an excellent ground cover plants for partial shade and show some drought resistance when well established. . This is one of the tough older varieties of Epimedium, which I would recommend cutting off all of last year’s foliage, during early spring, to better display the flowers. This can be done with shears providing the timing is right. Too early and the leaf removal may leave the new flower stems more vulnerable to frost damage. Leave it too late and the new flowers will be too tall and sheared off with the old leaves. It is a matter of checking the development of the young shoots and cutting before they get too tall.

This is not as vigorous as E. x perralchicum but is still a good doer, with average care and a reasonable soil and site. It is easily obtained from a good number of suppliers. The young leaves are attractively coloured red.

Epimedium x rubrum spring foliage